PINAL COUNTY, Ariz. — The Pinal County Sheriff's Office is investigating a "suspicious" package dropped off at a San Tan Valley post office by a subject who claimed the item was a bomb.
At about 10 a.m., a 911 call reported a strange package left at a third-party post office near Hunt Highway and Gary Road. The surrounding businesses -- which include a Home Depot, Panda Express, Dunkin Donuts and Skyline Dental -- were evacuated as a precaution.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety's bomb squad was called in to assist with the investigation.
PCSO said the package has been cleared and there's no threat to the community.
UP TO SPEED
How big is Maricopa County?
Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.
The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.
The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.
The county was named after the Maricopa, or Piipaash, Native American Tribe.